Best Campgrounds near Fife Lake, MI

Get ready, Gaylord! Alpen Bluffs is shaping up to be an incredible new resort destination in Otsego County, set to open its doors in May 2025. With a whopping 271 sites, including a fantastic mix of 30 cabins and 14 yurts, there's something for everyone. RV enthusiasts will appreciate the full hookups, convenient concrete pads, and versatile 30/50/20 electric outlets. But Alpen Bluffs isn't just for RVers– the whole family will be thrilled with the impressive list of amenities already planned, including pickleball, a dedicated bark park for furry friends, the exciting Inukshuk Shores aquatic playground, gem mining, and mini golf, with promises of even more to come! While we eagerly anticipate the late 2025 opening of The Bluff Club with its resort pool and unique container bar with a smoker, the initial offerings alone make Alpen Bluffs a must-watch and likely a must-visit for a fantastic family getaway in Northern Michigan.

This Campground was very family-friendly. There is easy access to the beach with wide stairs. Many people enjoying rock collecting and watching the sunrise and sunset. The park was very clean and well kept with multiple bath houses.

The campground was well maintained. The sites had adequate privacy and space. I really enjoyed the trails through Cedar Forest along Lake Charlevoix. More unique experience than just hiking through the woods.

Full hookup sites, cabins were nice. Many recent upgrades to the campground

Stayed at site 3. It was a relatively easy hike until you hit a hilly spot towards the campground. Mid July was very buggy.

Site 3 has easy access to an overlook which we made use of for photos of a storm that rolled in over North Manitou Island, our original destination. There was one vault toilet at the opposite end of the campground.

Like at Weatherstation, it was easy enough to get down to the beach for swimming and refilling our Grayls but to get back up was a bit of a challenge that grew old after a few trips.

Our last night, we stayed at the Bay campground which was nice. Fire rings are available and getting to and from the water was much easier. I'd recommend the Bay for people who want a more leisurely experience and one of the other campgrounds if you want to get some miles and get more rustic.

No running water.
No electricity.

No flush toilets.

No internet.
No phone signal.

Pure heaven.

Rustic campsites. 50-100 yards from the river. Great water from the pump. Nice clean vault toilet. Very quiet at night. Peaceful and beautiful. We've gone ever year for the last 5 years. Going again next year.

Highly recommend a satellite-based GPS unit like Garmin or TomTom in your car. I was serious when I said no phone signal so Google Maps ain't gonna' get you there.

The campground is a small, family friendly campground that has a lot of activities for both adults and kids. It is clean, has level sites and well maintained facilities.

Our time at this campground has been exceptional. The grounds are kept very clean and tidy, the camp store had what we needed, and the atmosphere is very quiet and calming. Everything on our full hookup site worked good and our site itself was level.

Our weather wasn’t very good, 66 and rainy, but we made the best of our time by going downtown Bellaire and visiting Shorts Brewing. The little town has some cute shops and is only 8 minutes from the campground.

We had a wonderful time and can’t wait to book again next year.

This was a great campground, quiet and peaceful in the cherry orchard area of west Michigan, near Glen Arbor and Traverse City.

Our site, #20, had an improved gravel parking area for camper with a finished concrete pad with a picnic table.

Site, and whole campground was clean and well maintained. Our site was a full hookup but had one small issue where the drain dump was slightly uphill from the camper, so we had to work with the drain hose to empty tanks.

Only other negative is that there are no trees for the majority of sites for shade cover.

This was a good spot for a two night stay as it’s close to the Sleeping Bear National Dunes and also many local wineries.

Have fun!

Not a bad campground. Easy drive to Traverse City. Camp store is small and closes early, 7pm.

First timers. Very pleased with our stay. Reservation system is awesome, and easy to follow. Bathhouse was clean and fresh smelling. Even with all the rain we had during the stay, the bathhouse never got overly soiled. Water has a very heavy sulphor smell, but that's the way it goes with Michigan well water. Our Tear drop camper had fresh water on-board, so we were good to go. We've stayed at Young State Park across the way. Given what I know now, Whiting Park will be our"go to" park in the future. Again, Very Pleased.